Weather: Dunkirk was frozen by an ice pack sixty years ago
In January 1963, the coast of Dunkirk turned into an ice pack. A meteorological episode that has only happened twice since then and now seems unlikely.
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2 min
Sixty years and about twenty-five degrees! Between the current incredibly mild winter and the winter of 1963, the range of extreme temperatures locally demonstrates the unstoppable evolution of climate.
On January 12, 1963 The voice of the north showed that Maloda ” an ice pack has formed on the beach and seagulls are pecking at the windows for bread. “There have been more spring songs escaping the birds’ beaks in recent weeks. As a result of the severe winter of 1963, the inner harbor completely froze over, preventing river navigation and hampering the fishing fleet.
Concern over the supply of coal, an important source of heat for residents.
After more than three weeks of frost (the cold weather began on December 23, 1962), the situation was improving.
On January 14th the city began to melt slowly. In the afternoon, the sea rose gently to attack the ice pack, which it raised in slabs, running into small ice galleries formed on the sand. “, we could read The voice of the north.
The last ice pack in 1997
Since this episode in 1963, the sea has frozen over only twice, in 1986 and again in 1997. In the past, these ice packs were more frequent. The Dunkirk Archives – the urban memory center of the agglomeration located in the Halle aux sucres – records similar episodes in 1956, 1954, 1947, 1933 and especially in 1929, the coldest winter with temperatures of -18ºC.
During the famous winter of 1954, which had a deadly effect on France as a whole, ice completely covered the Grand-Fort-Philippe canal, immobilizing 600 local fishermen. In Malo, children build walls with blocks of ice on the frozen water. A sea of ice formed around the port of Dunkirk, partially paralyzing its operations. A lift boat in the middle of the channel Cholet blocked by ice and a back-and-forth system was set up to provide the 14 remaining crew on board …
Scenes worthy of a science fiction movie today…
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